Combined radio-phonograph time control method and means



May 3, 1938. R. B. WHITMAN ET AL 2,115,756

COMBINED RADIO-PHONOGRAPH TIME CONTROL METHOD AND MEANS Filed Sept. 14,1954 l l z /0 l5 9 {V i a f /5/2 .wwmr/o v 23 1 "Iivsu N 7 l3 mm 23 22R24 24 %'0 RAND sew AC TO (10y 30 INVENTORS Rag, Belmont Whnman & EdwardH Haan 7 Z g-Mm 3/ ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Ray Belmont Whitman, Essex Fells, N. J., and Edward H. Haan,Chicago, Ill.

Application September 14, 1934, Serial No. 744,044

6 Claims.

This invention relates to radio-phonograph combinations, and moreespecially to a radiophonograph in which a time switch is employed toautomatically change from the playing of the 5 radio to the playing ofthe phonograph and vice versa at any desired time intervals.

An object of the invention is to provide a radio receiving set withclock means for starting and stopping it automatically at any desiredtime 10 intervals.

Another object is to provide a phonograph with means for automaticallystarting and stopping it at any desired time intervals.

A further object is to provide means with a 15 radio-phonographcombination by which the radio may be heard in operation during theperiod of a broadcasting program and the phonograph then heard and theradio silent during the period when the station announcement wouldnormally be heard on the radio.

A still further object is to provide time control means for a radio, aphonograph, or a combination of the two whereby either instrument may bestarted or stopped while the other is stopped 25 or started, to bestopped or started at any desired time intervals, together with meansfor adjusting said time intervals at will.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide simple and inexpensivemeans in conjunc- 30 tion with a radio-phonograph combination by meansof which a national advertisers broadcasting program may be utilized bya local advertiser, for instance, by substituting the periodicadvertising message of the national ad- 5 vertiser at the beginning orend of each broadcasting program with an advertising message of thelocal advertiser.

All these and other objects as suggested here below are attained by themethods and means 40 now to be described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view,partly in phantom, showing a form of time switch adapted for use tocontrol the starting or stopping of a 45 phonograph or radio to bringabout the results accomplished by this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view showing the essential parts of thetime switch of Fig. 1.

And Fig. 3 is an assembly view, largely di- 50 agrammatic, showing theswitch mechanism, the phonograph motor, the phonograph electrical pickupdevice, the cam operated switch operated by the phonograph motor, andthe radio and other electrical connections whereby a phono- 55 graphrecord may be substituted for the advertising message or stationannouncement once every fifteen minutes, or other adjustable intervalsin accordance with the operation of this invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout 5 the several views.

A largely-standardized form of time switch is shown somewhat in detailin Figs. 1 and 2. There is shown the hour hand ID, the minute hand II,and the turning knob l2 by means of which the clock may be set to anydesired time, such as to correspond with the correct time. The timeswitch has a supporting frame structure l3, an actuating motor I4, asuitable gear reduction l5 between the first driven gear or pinion I6off the motor and the hour and minute hands In and II respectively,driven thereby. The motor 14, which drives the clock hands at properspeeds in accordance with the correct time, also drives at greatlyreduced speed by means of the gear reduction a shaft I! which is keyedto and rotates the time control disc l8 in a clockwise direction asviewed in Figure l and shown by the arrow.

An electrical conducting sleeve I9 is aflixed to and rotates with shaftl1 and disc l8, and a flexible contacting and conducting finger 20 bearson sleeve l9 as it rotates to make electrical contact therewith.

The gear reduction from the time clock motor drive is such that disc I8is caused to rotate once every two hours in the particular arrangementshown. Eight equi-spaced projecting pins 2| project laterally from theoutside surface of disc l8, so that as contact is made with each ofthese pins, in manner now to be described, a time interval of fifteenminutes results therefrom.

Mounted in an upstanding pedestal 22 secured to frame I3 is aknurl-headed adjusting screw 23 and positioned in contacting relationtherewith is a conducting arm 24 centrally pivoted at 25 and having itsupper end positioned in the line of rotation of the eight pins 2| so asto make contact therewith as they rotate. A spiral spring 26 is attachedto frame I3 at one end and to a point intermediate the upper end and thepivot point of arm 24 in manner as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This causesarm 24 to be rotated clockwise as shown in Fig. 1 tending always to moveits upper end to the right. At the same time the '50 distance it canmove is determined by the posi. tion of the end of the adjusting screw23 as shown.

By means of this arrangement it will be seen that a movement of theadjusting screw 23 will= alter the time that the switch closes,'that isthe time when one of the pins 2| makes contact with the upper end of arm24, and the length of the arm 24 above the pivot point, for instance,determines the length of time that the switch is closed. In the presentembodiment this is set for about two minutes on the theory thatpractically all phonograph records play for a period considerably inexcess of that and the mechanism will operate properly providing thatthat time interval is shorter than the playing of the phonograph record,as will be later explained.

Now going to Fig. 3, the phonograph motor is shown at 21, the A. C. feedto the radio set is shown at 28, a manual phonograph switch at 29, theA. C. feed to the clock at 30, and the A. C. line feed, which in this.case is 60 cycle 120 volt, is shown at 3|.

The detector of the radio set is shown at the top of Fig. 3, the radiofrequency side being at the left at 32, the arrow 33 designating aconnection to the audio amplifier, the audio bias being shown at 34 andthe detector bias at 35, this wiring representing any standard radioset.

The phonograph electrical pickup is shown at 36, and at 3'! is shown theswitch cam of a record changing phonograph mechanism such as that putout by Capehart Corporation and invented by one of these applicants, RayBelmont Whitman, and now covered by Patent No. 1,991,005, dated Feb. 12,1935. There are several such mechanisms on the market and they all havein common a mechanical and electrical means for returning the tone armor pickup of the phonograph to outside position after a record has beenplayed, repeating or changing the record, and then moving the pickup arminto playing position and permitting the record to play through.

In record changing phonographs of the type above referred to, there areused phonograph records in which the inner line of the record terminatesin a large pitch spiral groove leading toward the center label andpassing a predetermined point a definite distance from the center of therecord which mechanical movement starts the cycle of operation, in awell-known manner. Thereupon the pickup arm raises, swings outwardly,the same record continues to rotate or is changed and a new one takesits place, then the pickup arm swings inwardly and the needle end isdeposited gently in the first or outer groove of the record at whichpoint mechanical control ceases while the record plays freely throughoutits length, after which the cycle of operation is repeated. Cam 3'!designates therefore the main operating cam by which this action takesplace. None of the details of such mechanism is shown other than the camsince it is no part of the present invention.

The rotary movement of cam 3'! is caused to move in a clockwisedirection as shown in Fig. 3 and in time the extended portion of saidcam contacts and raises conducting arm 38 and through it also raisesmembers 39 and 40, which are other contact arms with suitableprojections thereon as shown. Thus members 33, 39 and 41'! aresimultaneously lifted to break the connection with member 4! .and makeconnection with members 42, 43 and 44. By this means contact is brokenfrom the radio frequency to the detector and the phonograph pick-up 36connected 1 to the audio amplifier, and permits theelectrically-operated phonograph to play.

The operation of the device, then, may be summarized as follows:

Cam 3'! is mounted onthe phonograph mechanism shaft. When the phonographswitch has been closed a sufficient time interval to permit cam 31 torotate sufficiently to engage cam switch 42, the phonograph mechanism iscaused to operate to play the record from beginning to end. Then whilethe phonograph control switch 29 stays closed the same sequence ofoperation on the phonograph is repeatedthat is, the record is repeatedor changes to a new record which is played, depending upon the settingof the phonograph mechanism. Now as regards the function of the timeswitch: this is substituted for the phonograph control switch andoperates in this manner; namely, at a predetermined time the time switchcloses or makes contact between one of the pins 2| and contact bar 24and causes the phonograph motor 21 to start. This motor is connected tothe phonograph mechanism in such manner that it operates or rotates cam37, which closes switch 42 which is electrically in parallel with thetime switch. Thus the time switch must remain closed until after switch52 has been closed by the phonograph mechanism. In fact any time interval greater than that necessary to close the switch 42 by. thephonograph mechanism but shorter than the period necessary for operationof the record may be utilized. The adjustment of the time switch forsuch time interval is made by moving arm 26 in pivot to change therelation of the levers on each side of said pivot.

In order that the time switch (which for purposes of illustration onlyin this diagram is shown as operating in a plurality of uniform timeintervals) may be set, the adjusting screw 23 is provided so that saidinterval may start at any predetermined time. For instance, if it isdesired to start at an interval five minutes after the hour, when theclock has reached this time the adjusting screw 23 is regulated untilarm 2 contacts with one of the pins 2!.

The duration of this contact is altered by mov ing arm 24 in pivot 25 aspreviously explained.

In Fig. 3 switch 4B is shown as a double-pole double-throw switch, whichby means of the con tact at 4! causes the radio to operate when theswitch is as shown. But when cam til has moved around until its camsurface is upward the switch is then shifted to make a contact at4.'i-M, at which time the radio is disconnected and the phonographpick-up is caused to operate through the phonograph mechanism to soundthe record. The master throw-out switch 5 is positioned as shown, so asto keep always in circuit the electric clock when both radio andphonograph a e electrically disconnected from the source of currentsupply.

Having now described the invention, what isclaimed as new and for whichLetters Patent of the United States is desired, is:

1. The combination in a combined electricallyoperated radio-repeatingphonograph instrument of current-conducting and contacting meansincluding a time switch comprising a rotary disc, spacedlaterally-projecting contacts on the disc, and a flexible contact arm,and an electric clock adapted to operate said disc and includingconnecting means for said elements by which the radio may bedisconnected and the phonograph connected at a given time interval andthe phonograph disconnected and the radio connected at another giventime interval.

2. The combination in a radio receiving set of clock means, a rotarydisc switch associated therewith but connected to the back face thereofby reduction gearing and adapted to start and stop the radioautomatically at any desired time interval.

3. The combination of an electrically-operated phonograph andcurrent-conducting and contacting means therefor with anelectric-clockoperated shaft, of a time switch actuated by thephonograph starting-and-stopping mechanism, and comprising a rotatablemember mounted to rotate on the shaft and making electrical contacttherewith, a plurality of contact points near the periphery of saidmember, a movable conducting arm pivoted intermediate its ends andhaving one of its ends normally in the path of said contact points andadapted to make contact therewith for a given time interval, andelectrical conductors leading away from both the conducting arm and theshaft to a source of current supply and the phonograph.

4. The invention as in claim 3, the conducting arm including means foradjusting its interval of contact with the contact points.

5. The invention as in claim 3, the conducting arm including means foradjusting its time of making contact with the contact points relative tothe movement of said shaft.

6. The combination of an electrically-operated automatic phonograph andcurrent-conducting and contacting means therefor, including a camactuated by the phonograph starting-and-stopping mechanism, said cambeing adapted to actuate a double-throw double-pole switch for makingand breaking electrical circuits to the phonograph and also to a timeswitch in the currentconducting means controlled thereby.

RAY BELMONT WHITMAN. EDWARD H. HAAN.

